If this is covered elsewhere, please point me to the article...Ive got oats for breakfast and pasta for dinner but during the day its mostly sandwiches, junk food, bars and nuts. I want a bit more complex carbs during the day. Got any tips? Is there a particular bar thats high in complex carbs? dried fruit? I would dig a real simple brown rice salad to go with my sandwich but I'm guessing cooked brown rice is only good for a day or two in my pack.

I like Powerbar's Harvest line. 6+ variations on a theme that work for me. Double Chocolate, Toffee, PB, and I can't remember the others. 10 grams of protein per bar as well. Some of the others are too sweet - like Apple Cinnamon and Oatmeal Raisin. They are about 240 calories a bar, at $1 a bar at my local supermarket.

If money is no object, look at the ProBar line.

I train on the Harvest bars and then for a trip take a ProBar a day as a reward for good behavior.

Try these under stress before you buy a case.

You mention 'Junk Food". My two favorites are potato chips and Chex Party Mix Bold, in 2 ounce portions at about 300 calories. They are a nice change of pace and a good mix of salt, carbs, and fat.

If you are fastpacking, it's time to step up to maltodextrin. Google it here for details

Here's an ultra running concoction I'm working on, tried it once and it tasted fine:

Cooked sweet potatoes mashed up with a little coconut butter, sea salt (*very little, to taste) cinnamon, vanilla, touch of honey for added sweetness, and diced pecans. Throw it in a baggie and munch on it between meals. This should keep fine for a day or two.

If you're going the store bought route, Pro Bars are hard to beat for quality, but the steep price will blind you. Chock full of complex carbs, simple sugars, protein, etc...

Pack an avocado or two for the evening or for a twist on breakfast. Spread it on some quality crackers or crusty bread.

Like Eugene, I also like Probars but not the price. Nuts are not cheap so I can understand why they cost what they do. Here is a homemade Probar recipe I have been playing around with and I have been happy with the results: RecipeGo to a store with a good bulk foods section or Costco and stock up on ingredients. I like to make a good size batch, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then freeze.

Cooked sweet potatoes mashed up with a little coconut butter, sea salt (*very little, to taste) cinnamon, vanilla, touch of honey for added sweetness, and diced pecans. Throw it in a baggie and munch on it between meals. This should keep fine for a day or two.

And even for ordinary backpacking, it's a good no muss, no fuss, no bother way to dribble in the carbs during the day. It's been my only fuel between breakfast and dinner for years now, but I don't do super mileage, either. Still, I've found it works fine for days up to 18 miles or so, which is about all I do. Word of warning:this approach only works as long as you've got body fat to burn, and is not applicable by itself on extended hikes.

Edit: Check out Greg Gressel's posts on the subject. He's done a lot with the idea on much longer hikes than I'm talking about, and really has it dialed in.

great info thanks everybody. Dave that homemade probar recipe sounds killer, i must try that. Same with Eugene's sweet potato mix. but do you eat that like a gorp or does the honey hold it together like a soft bar? The logan bread is something i keep telling myself i should do but for whatever reason i never have. however, i have just a week to get ready so I've replaced much of my junk food with probars, dried coconut (awesome!), dried mango, and dates (also awesome!). super excited now. these plant-based carb and all the nuts are gonna work just peachy. Probars were exactly what I needed for this one, BPL to the rescue again.

Hi, I make bean dips which I then dehydrate. I make hummus, black bean cilantro lime dip, white bean dip with dill and mint and a pinto dip which is spicy. I spread on fruit roll trays and dehydrate on 135 for about 8 hours and then crumble to a powder and divide into 3/4 cup portions in baggies. On the trail I add a little water to the baggie and knead the mix and let sit for 10 minutes and then spread on crackers such as DR. Kracker seeded spelt or Mary's Gone Crackers. You would be surprised how well the dips re-hydrate and retain their flavor and how easy the whole process is if you have a dehydrator and a food processor. It is very nutritious and packs small. I always have plenty of endurance after these lunches. One tip is to add a bit extra of flavorful ingredients to the dip when you are making it so it is plenty flavorful on the trail. For example I usually double the lemon or lime or cilantro etc..

I also make granola which is an easy thing to do. I like to eat it dry as a trail mix.